After the Korean liberation Master Choi returned to Korea
1945; and resided in DaeGu, Korea. Under the Yawara name held only private lessons
out of his home. After the end of the Korean war in 1953 Master Choi
started teaching to the public - still only teaching out of his own
home.

The name Yawara was later changed to Hapkido by a few Yu Sool (Yawara)
masters in Seoul the capital city of Korea and Slowly Hap Ki Do was mixed
with HwaRangDo and other martial art styles and turned generic.

Today, Hap Ki Do looks a lot
like the original martial art of Korea, Um-Yang Kwon, which only two
people in modern time ever learned - the name Um-Yang Kwon however is no longer
used as it was changed to Hwa Rang Do®.

The Hap Ki Do of today is a
form of unarmed self-defense based on circular techniques such as jointlocks,
foot sweeps and kicks, but incorporating punches and circular throws and a
yielding principle similar to that of Aikido, however original Hap Ki Do was
actually the exact same thing as Daito Ryu Yawara.

The emphasis on circular
motion in Hap Ki Do allows for a free-flowing form of combat in which one technique can
merge with the next and the direction of force can easily be changed by changing
the axis of rotation.

Primarily practiced for self-defense or spiritual development
or both, hapkido came to be used in free-sparring contests mixed of the HwaRangDo
or TaeKwonDo type.

For more information and instruction in the Original Korean Martial Art, Click Below: